This Sweet, Orangey Taste
by amazonian rush
Summary: TAKARI Their stolen moments, together, and to Hikari, all that matters were them, together and him, no one else. Fluff alert


**This Sweet, Orangey Taste** or _a memento of their forever_

**_by Daniellea Moray  
_**

* * *

This was nice.

His head was lying on her lap, asleep and snoring lightly. He wore a chequered red-and-black jacket over a black t-shirt (which she can't help but noticed barely concealed his muscles, which made her blush, which made her furious because she never blushed) and a pair of black, worn out jeans. He was probably cold, because snow was falling lightly on Odaiba (which meant they were falling on her and him too); barely caring about the residents' comfort (they most certainly want sunny, warm weather but its winter so it can't be helped). She caressed his golden hair which glistened in the dim lights of the street lights. Jealous that he had such beautiful hair. Content that she was the one caressing it, combing her fingers through them and not some other girl whose hair she will rip out if they ever touch a strand of his. Their torchlight was lying lazily by her side, threatening to fall down the roof.

Yes, she was sitting on the roof with him on her lap and it was snowing. She felt cold so she shuddered. Thankfully she didn't wake him. She liked him like this, peaceful and at ease.

She wondered what the neighbours would think but she shrugged. She would be happy to brave through angry gossips and parents' threats as long as she has his head on her lap.

He stirred to life, his light blue eyes blinking at her. "Hikari?"

"Here, Takeru." Where else would she be without him? She smiled.

"Where is here?" he teased, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it? Why is it snowing?"

"Because it's winter, dummy." She teased him. "If you notice that the sky is dark, it means it's already night."

"Hmm. We should go." He didn't budge a single centimetre.

"Yeah, we should." She sighed, not moving either.

"We should change the subject before we realised that we really should go." He suggested.

"Yeah." She paused, thinking. "What did you dream of?"

"Well…" his fingers caressed her cold cheeks. That felt nice too. "I dreamt I was sleeping on the lap of the girl I love like mad, not wanting to move. I dreamt that I woke up and asked her why it's snowing. She said because it's winter, dummy. Then she said it's already night. Then I said we probably should go. She agreed. But we didn't move an inch."

"And why is that?" She gripped his fingers, revelling in its warmth. Hanging on to it for warmth, for life, for sanity. She giggled when he tickled her hand.

"Because… Maybe it's because I don't want to go away from her. Maybe it's because I want to stay there with her forever, trapped in that dream. But happy. Most of all, because I was with her."

"Is that enough?" She brought her hand to her lips, whispering.

"Yes. Especially when she does that." He leans up to her and kissed her lips.

She wondered why when he kissed her, it felt very… feathery. Yes, feathery. A feathery kiss. She wasn't complaining, though. It was very, very nice. Like sugar melting on her tongue. Very nice.

He breathed on her lips. "Do you want more?"

"It's very nice." She whispered on his.

"Is that a yes?" he kissed her again. When his lips left hers, a snowflake fell on her lips and melted.

"Will you kiss this away?" She pointed at the molten snowflake.

"Do you want me too?" Their soft whispers were a part of the night, there but barely. Unnoticeable to others, but most important to them.

"Absolutely." She was breathless. He kissed her again.

It was getting very cold. Their hands clasped together. He sat up and she leaned to rest her head on his broad shoulders. She could feel his heartbeats as if they were hers, throbbing in harmony. They twined their legs together for warmth, but for intimacy too. On the roof, they can see everything. They can see the Tokyo Tower glittering in the dark. The metropolis was buzzing with excitement and people, but it didn't touch them or their happiness.

Her hands were cold and so were his. More for his sake than hers, she grumbled to him if he wanted to go inside the house.

He looked at her, wondering. "Do you want too?"

Stubborn as she was, she answered, "You're getting cold."

"I don't mind, except that you are too." His sigh echoed in the cold air. "We should go in."

With her hand in his, he picked up the torchlight and guided her inside the house. Once they reached the living room where their families gathered in perfect happiness (but differs greatly from their own), they each let go of the other's hand. She went to her family, laughing delightfully at her big brother's antics (but no one could make her happier than him). He went to his family, challenging his big brother to a game of poker which later in the night, he conceded defeat. They indulged in the great feast that followed, joining the friendly banters. They didn't cross paths; they didn't speak to each other more than necessary. They acted like they were only that, family friends (but he and she knew more than that). By midnight, she and her family bade farewell to the host's family, thanking them for the great dinner and entertainment. She didn't glance at him and neither did he. She left with her family and he returned to the house with his.

They carried on with their own lives until next summer.

* * *

Crickets chirped. Paper fans were used extravagantly. Ice cream vendors became the most popular place to be. The sun was screaming at humans. Cool breezes that soothe the skin decided to disappear.

It was summer.

So the beaches became the popular hotspot after ice cream vendors.

"Are you coming, Hikari?" her friends had chanted at her, armed with their sun blocks, colourful bikinis and overwhelming excitement.

"No," she had smiled. "I'm going somewhere with my family actually. See you after summer break!"

"Are you going to the beach with your friends again this break, Hikari?" Her mother had asked her, armed with her paper fan and a glass of cool iced lemonade.

"Yes, mother. See you after summer break!" she had waved at her, armed with a travelling bag and her teddy bear, Mr. Bear which she had been carrying around since four.

He was waiting for her at the train station, armed with his own bag and a guitar case (No one was there, except for him, her and the ticket guy). She greeted him with a large grin, overwhelming excited. She was spending the summer with him (there's no one else she wants to spend it with). More important, he was spending the summer with her, and not some other girl with fake tan and Victoria's Secret's thongs.

The sunshine beamed on his golden hair. His light blue eyes were alight at seeing her. His arms wrapped around her protectively, possessively as they boarded a train that was going to take them somewhere. Most importantly, somewhere where it was only him and her.

That was very, very nice.

They went to a lonely but very beautiful beach. There was no one else but him and her, and there was no family to interrupt them at the beach. Sunshine glowed on the surface of the sea as they swam together, laughing at nothing in particular, laughing because they were together, finally. The sunshine burned their skin but the waves soothed them. They took breaks under coconut trees, with his head on her lap and her hands caressing his (beautiful) golden hair. They swam again and when hungry, they fed each other food they had brought with them. The sunset came and they sat together, with her head on his broad shoulders and they gazed at the setting sun. How beautiful its reflection on the dark water was, she thought.

He set camp and she searched for woods to set fire to. They watched the flames brightened the dark sky.

"It's been very long." She spoke up, playing with his fingers.

"It is." He paused. "I miss you like mad."

She giggled against his shoulder. "You're copying my lines."

He gazed at her, smiling. She traced a circle on his bare back, noting his shudders. "I like that."

"Me missing you? Or this?" Her fingers pressed his skin.

"Both. I like them." He gripped her fingers. "I have to say, I like you better."

Heat burned in her cheeks. "Are you trying to make me blush?" she murmured against his skin.

"It adds a nice colour to your cheeks." He groaned in pleasure when she pressed her lips to his bare shoulder. "Maybe you're trying to make me blush too."

"It adds a nice colour to your cheeks, too." She teased. He laughed into her hair.

"Are you sleepy?" he murmured as the fire crackles.

She looked up to him. His face was half concealed by shadow, half illuminated by the fire. He was handsome. Must be a heartthrob at his school. She was consumed with jealousy. She wanted to be in his school so that she can watch him everyday, be with him every minute. Did he go out with other girls to conceal their tryst?

"No," she linked their fingers together. He kissed each and every one of her fingers, his warm breath on her skin a nice welcome. This time, she leaned into him and kissed him with as much passion as she could mustered, hoping to leave a part of her with him.

Their lips melted into one. His lips oh so soft, so warm. His breaths were ragged, uneven as she kissed him. She couldn't let him go, didn't want to. She was his, for the summer.

And even though he didn't know it, forever.

She leaned on his shoulder as he played some of her favourite songs with his guitar, singing only for her to hear. Her eyelids drooped as his voice accompanied her to her sleep, his skin as her comfy, nice pillow. The sand was their bed with the stars on the dark sky as their roof. The fire crackled merrily, singing along with him. They stayed together like this for the rest of the night, with him finally falling asleep but not daring to move in case he woke her.

For the rest of the summer, she spent her time with him and it was all she ever wanted.

On the last day of the summer break, they got up and packed their things separately. She carried her bag and Mr. Bear while he carried his bag and his guitar case. Their fingers were linked all the way to the train station, oblivious to the locals' stares and gossips. He bought her an ice cream from a nice old man and she shared it with him. Sunshine glowed in his golden hair and suddenly, she felt sad.

Still, she held his hand, holding on to his warmth for comfort.

They sat on a bench, waiting for the train. All the while, he rested his head on her lap and they were oblivious to others, blissful together. She played with his hair and they never let go of their hands.

The train came and he slept on her lap while the old train slowly made its way to Tokyo, their home. She gripped his hand tighter, knowing these were the last moments for them to be together. He whistled under his breath to calm her, leaning up now and then to leave feathery kisses on her lips. She bought an orange and he fed her orange slices. She let him taste the sweet tinge in her mouth, savouring her most favourite flavour in the world. The sweet orange tinge lingered on their lips, a memento of the time they spent together.

The train reached Odaiba and he sat up, carrying his bag and guitar case. He got off the train first, without a backward glance at her. She waited for a while, picked up her things and left after him. She got in a cab (the journey took a while but the cab driver entertained her, teasing her tanned skin. She only smiled) and her mother greeted her at the door, smiling at her tanned daughter.

"How was your summer, Hikari?" her mother shouted from the kitchen.

"Very nice," she shouted back from her bedroom as she unpacked her things. "My friends said hi."

She wondered and hoped that next summer, yes, next summer they would still spend it together. But before that, there was winter when they would meet up for a day, with him waiting in front of the grocery store, cloaked in his chequered red-and-black jacket over a black t-shirt, smiling at her.

She cannot wait for that.

"Your fiancé called." Her mother appeared in the doorway, smiling. "Said he just got back from the airport. Your brother's picking him up for dinner tonight, so get dress. He said he brought back some gifts from America for you."

She smiled at her, folding her clothes. "That's nice of him."

A little smugness radiated from her mother's smile. "You must be glad that you've parents like us. Otherwise, you might end up as an old spinster. Luckily for you, we've solved that problem for you."

"Yes," She assented without feeling. She couldn't look at her mother while she folded her clothes, her emotions were exploding inside her. "I'm grateful. Thank you, mother."

"Treat your future husband nicely and give him many sons. Don't think about having a career or studying after high school. Your husband is your first priority, remember that. Maybe he would buy you a very nice house. After all, he's quite generous, waiting until you finish high school."

"Yes," With his face bathed in sunlight behind her eyelids, she answered. "That's nice, mother."

* * *

_A/N: I only hope you guys enjoy it as much as I have, writing it. Also, I hope you guys would review. Thank you! Have a slice of orange, everyone. Arranged marriages still happen nowadays, and that's a little sad. But there are those that turns out alright, so it's not so bad after all. :)_

_In case you're curious, Hikari and Takeru didn't have a choice here and they can only meet behind others' back. Otherwise, their parents would explode if they find out about these two because Hikari's already engaged, only she loves Takeru and not her future hubby. Quite sad. Sob._

_And oh, this is a rewrite of one of my stories, Faith. Hope you guys like it. :)_

_Written while listening to Karma Police, Radiohead and Lyla, Oasis.  
_


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